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US & UK spies 'able to access personal data via phone apps'

US and British intelligence agencies are able to gain access to personal data from smartphone apps including Angry Birds and social media sites such as Facebook and YouTube, according to documents taken by ex-US spy contractor Edward Snowden.

US and UK agencies 'exploit leaky apps for intelligence'

US and British intelligence agencies have plotted ways to gather data from Angry Birds and other smartphone apps that "leak" users' personal information onto global networks, the Guardian reported, citing documents obtained from whistleblower Edward Snowden.

The report claims Angry Birds was one of the apps targeted by the NSA and GCHQ. Credit: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

The US National Security Agency (NSA) and its British counterpart, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), had tried to exploit "leaky" smartphone apps that could disclose users' locations, age, gender and other personal information, according to the newspaper.